also with us dr. james peterson, director of africana studies and associate professor of english at lehigh university. gentlemen, great to have you with us. jonathan, you first. quite the social contract that the president made today. your thoughts. >> it did. he was able to both look back and connect what we're doing now in this country to the whole history of what we owe each other. going back not just to the declaration of independence, but the american social contract of the 1930s with these insurance programs that as he indicated, allow people to do more with their lives if they know that they're insured against real poverty. but by talking about gay rights, i think this someone of the things he will be remembered for. i don't think he assumed when he ran for president that this would be -- loom as large as it has. the country has come a huge distance in a fairly short period of time. and instead of it just being another interest group, it's now in the american grain, along with civil rights and